


Not Your Average Mermaid

by Marlon



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: M/M, mermaid au, siren au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 06:19:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15943526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marlon/pseuds/Marlon
Summary: Kylo has been looking forward to some sun and solitude at his family cottage on Galiano Island but a rude and mouthy interloper has other ideas for him.





	Not Your Average Mermaid

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came from a reblog of a post I saw on tumblr by @bandicutes: au where sirens cant sing for shit but lure thousands of men into the ocean and to their death by making sweeping statements like ‘listen! all men are terrible at swimming! its just genetics! if you think im wrong why dont you come over here and fight me’ and then waiting for them to yell ‘not ALL men’ and hurl themselves overboard.
> 
> When I saw this, I knew it would instantly make a good little kylux au, and here we are. Thanks to Katiesghost for the title suggestion and to her and Christoph for the beta reading.

“Does Han know you’re taking the Falcon out?”

“Yes, Maz!” Kylo exhales loudly as he dances from foot to foot, anxious to be out on the water. “I swear he said it was okay.”

The petite woman adjusts her oversized glasses as she glares up at Kylo, scrutinizing his face for any signs of a lie. “Okay, it’s just that last time, you managed to stall out on The Cut and had to be rescued, and Han had no idea you were even here that weekend.”

Kylo groans as he drags his hand down his face. You make one mistake one time and no one ever lets you forget it! He switches his boxy, green cooler to his other hand, and pulls his phone from his right back pocket and holds it out to her.

“Do you want to check with him yourself? He said it was okay.”

She waves the phone away with a snort. “Fine, fine. Just keep in contact while you’re out there, okay?” Kylo nods, sulkily. “Where are you going anyway?”

“Oh my god, Maz, do you give all your clients this hard a time?”

She crosses her arms and waits, eyebrow raised waiting for his answer.

“Fine!” Kylo says finally, throwing his arms up. “I was just going to go up to Dionisio Point for the afternoon.”

“Alright, radio if you need help.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

She laughs as she steps aside to allow him access to the dock and the waiting boat. Kylo stomps down the ramp as best he can in his flip-flops - it was difficult to have a satisfying sulk when you’re dressed in cheap plastic flip-flops and swimming trunks. Marching down onto the dock and heading towards the Falcon’s berth, Kylo’s shoulders begin to relax. The summer has been unseasonably warm from May onward, every day has been glorious sunshine, deep blue skies, and crushing, unrelenting heat. Today is no exception, there are no clouds marring the perfect blue of the sky except for a distant smudge of haze on the horizon from the forest fires raging up the coast.

There are very few boats currently moored in the marina this morning, only Han’s boat and a couple others are left behind - one needs some repairs, Kylo notices as he passes, and the other that belongs to a family that lives near Seattle who haven't arrived for the summer yet. Kylo reaches the Falcon’s berth and pauses. Setting the cooler down on the dock beside him he tips his face to the sky to breathe in the briny ocean air and luxuriate in the warm sun on his face. He pulls his heavy, dark hair up into a top knot to keep it off his neck and slips his sunglasses over his eyes so he can go about his little rituals before taking the boat out.

As Kylo checks the silver and black dory over for damage and inspects the lights, mooring ropes, and emergency kit, his mind wanders excitedly towards his planned afternoon swimming and sunning himself in the waters off Dionisio Point. The last semester at school had been busy and exhausting and he had opted not to teach summer courses but to take time off and just work on his thesis. There was no finer place for some sun and solitude than the family cottage on Galiano Island, especially since he knew no one else was likely to be using the place this summer - his parents are too busy with work, Luke is going to an ashram in Tennessee somewhere, and Rey is off traveling around Europe for a few weeks before starting her summer placement in Toronto.

Finding everything in good order, Kylo stands back to admire his handiwork, beads of perspiration slipping down his neck and trickling down his back as the sun steadily climbs higher in the uninterrupted blue of the sky. He removes his sunglasses so that he can dab at the rivulets of sweat running down his face with the hem of his tank top. 

Satisfied that everything in the Falcon is in good condition and ready to go, he places the cooler at the back of the boat so it won’t slide around too much then slips loose the mooring rope at the stern, tossing it to the deck of the boat. He steps nimbly into the dory and then reels in the mooring rope from the bow. Coiling the ropes into tidy circles, he hangs them on the metal cleats on the gunwale then with his hands, lightly pushes the boat away from the dock and starts the engine. He carefully eases the Falcon out of its berth and heads towards the mouth of the marina at a sedate pace, ever mindful of Maz’s watchful eyes.

Once he’s left the harbour behind, rounded the point and is out in Trincomali Strait proper, he guns the motor so that the Falcon flies through the water, the wake fanning out behind like a ribbon. Kylo can’t help but whoop with joy as the Falcon crests a wave, nose tipping up out of the water before it lands with a thump and thunders onward. He slows down as he passes a couple kayakers nosing around the rocky shoreline, not wanting to create too disruptive a wake for them to manage. They wave a greeting as he goes by.

Kylo settles into the pilot’s seat for the short trip to the end of the island. He cuts the speed down to an even more careful and respectful pace, mindful of the many herds of seals, sea lions, and dolphins that frequent the area. As he passes Wallace Island he sees yet more kayakers and nature enthusiasts out for a day of exploring.

A half an hour later he arrives at the northern end of the island. Pulling into the small, square bay, Kylo is delighted to see that he has the area to himself - there are no other boats moored in the small harbour and no one lazing about on the beach. He supposes perhaps it’s too hot now that the sun has reached its peak in the sky, any campers must be seeking shelter from the sun at the campsite set far within the towering pine trees. As Kylo cuts the motor he hears someone hailing him. Looking around, he sees a flash to his left and a person waving to him from the narrow strip of beach to the left. Kylo squints into the bright sun, blinking as a riot of spots breaks out behind his eyes, then he dives for his backpack and rummages around, finally pulls out his SLR camera. Removing the lens cap, he focuses it on the person hailing him - a man lounging on the rocks, waving cheerily at him, comes into focus. Kylo lowers the camera, flummoxed.

“Hey!” The mysterious man calls to him across the water, voice pitched to carry over the dull roar of the waves crashing against the beach. “Is that your boat? What a piece of junk!”

“What?” Kylo mouths to himself. He stands, mouth agape, staring at the odd person on the beach for a second before turning away with a huff to begin securing the boat in the bay. He heaves the anchor over the side so that the boat tugs and bobs against the weight but stays in place, floating gently on the waves. Kylo grabs his water bottle out of his bag and takes a deep pull of the refreshingly cool water.

“Excuse me! What happened to your boat, did you have an accident or something?”

Kylo spits out his mouthful of water in a sputtering arc. Wiping angrily at the water dripping down his chin, he glares toward the beach - the man waves merrily again.

“Most men as big as you are terrible swimmers too. Honestly, what are you even doing out here.”

“What the fuck?” Kylo mutters to himself. He raises his voice to shout back to the asshole on the beach. “What’s your problem, buddy?”

“Look don’t get mad at me, it’s just a biological fact that bulky guys like you can’t swim.”

Kylo hurls the water bottle back into his bag, clenching his hands and willing himself not to overreact. What’s this guy’s deal anyway? “What the hell are you even talking about! I’m an amazing swimmer! And I’m not ‘bulky’, this is all muscle.” He pats at his impressive washboard abs as if that proves anything.

“Why don’t you come over here and show me then!” The man shouts back with a laugh.

Kylo hesitates. If he gets into another fight that’ll be the end of it, Leia will forbid him from coming over to Galiano Island for the rest of the summer and will revoke his use of the boat - Maz will see to it that Leia’s word becomes law. He’ll be stuck in the city for the worst part of the summer when it’s hot and crawling with cruise ship tourists. He sighs, shoulders slumping, this guy wasn’t worth that sort of punishment so he simply flips him off and turns away to finish securing the boat.

“Just as I thought, you’re afraid.”

Kylo grits his teeth - not worth it, not worth it - he chants to himself. The man on the beach is merciless with his insults though, a steady stream of sarcastic comments float across the water to him, and Kylo growls deep in his throat. Finally, he can’t take it any longer. He bolts to his feet rips off his black tank top as he kicks off his flip-flops and dives into the water, gasping at the drastic temperature change between the air and the water.

He makes it over to the beach in seconds, his powerful front stroke carries him effortlessly through the choppy water and his familiarity with the bay allows him to avoid submerged rocks and hidden dangers. He hauls himself up on the rocks, smearing his sopping wet hair out of his eyes and marches across the warm sand towards the reclining figure.

The man sits bolt upright, mouth rounded in surprise as he watches Kylo’s stormy approach. Kylo skids to a stop a few feet from him, astonished - this was not what he had been expecting. That the man is naked isn’t all that unusual, Kylo assumes he just left his clothes up at his campsite. British Columbia in general, and the Gulf Islands, in particular, attract all manner of eccentric and unusual people - he’s pretty sure Han has a secret still somewhere on their property, and maybe even a gambling shack - the man’s nudity isn’t what gives Kylo pause. It’s the man’s arresting appearance that renders Kylo speechless. The stranger’s skin has a peculiar golden cast which glimmers faintly in the bright afternoon sun but which deepens to an almost burnished rust tone from his biceps to his fingertips and his knees to his toes. His extraordinary red hair is rich and voluminous, made up of shades of auburn, reds, pinks, and yellows. And speckled through the many braids and twists used to hold the hair out of the man’s startlingly green eyes, there are delicate strands of pearls and small, fan-shaped shells interwoven to compliment the man’s unusual beauty.

“Ah.” Kylo starts, his voice trailing off as the man flashes a wicked smile at him. “So, what the hell, pal?” He finishes lamely, arms akimbo in an attempt to look intimidating.

The man hisses pleasantly as he oozes back into a reclining position, crossing his impossibly long legs at the knee.

“Oh my, you are a big one aren’t you?” He smarms, an oily smile still upon his lips, arching his back slightly to thrust his chest forward. “I hadn't planned for this because people don’t usually make it this far.”

“Wha-” Kylo takes a step forward. “What are you talking about.”

The man sighs, narrow shoulders rising and falling elegantly as he does so. “Usually people drown before they get here, then I can eat them.”

“Eat them?” Kylo echoes, dully. What the fuck is going on here? “What are you, some kind of mermaid?”

The man hisses, showing a row of rather sharp looking teeth. “A mermaid, how dare you call me that!” He lifts one of his long legs and waves his delicately arched foot in Kylo’s face. “Do you see any fins? Any flippers? I’m a siren, obviously.” The man huffs, lowering his leg and sitting up. “This is disappointing, what a waste of a day. You’re the first person to come through here in ages, and now this! All that work for nothing.”

Kylo takes another hesitant step forward. The siren rolls his eyes and pats the clump of seaweed beside him, indicating that Kylo should sit. He thumps down beside him, mouth still flopping open unbecomingly.

“So, you’re a siren?”

“Yes.”

“And you eat people?”

“Yes.”

“Huh.” Kylo pauses. “And you were going to eat me?”

“ _Yes._ ” The siren snarls irritably.

“Huh.” Kylo says again. “Sorry, I guess?”

The other man shrugs a shoulder then tosses his head, shaking out his vibrant hair. “What can you do? These things happen, from time to time.”

Both of them fall silent then, the siren gazing sulkily at his pearlescent nails while Kylo’s gaze falls sightlessly on his boat bobbing gently against the waves in the bay. His mind scrambles to understand this amazing revelation. Apparently, real living and breathing sirens, creatures of mythology, exist outside storybooks and frequent the coastal waters off Galiano Island - it makes him wonder what other creatures roam these shores. Sasquatch, perhaps? Ogopogo? He eyes the siren surreptitiously - should he ask? No, that would be stupid, how would a siren know if Bigfoot was real? Kylo’s pretty sure the local cryptids don't have monthly meetings.

The siren has given up fiddling with his nails and is sitting, arms crossed huffily, glowering out at the grey-blue water. Kylo nudges his shoulder with his elbow.

“I’m Kylo.” He holds out his hand reflexively.

“Armitage.” The siren looks at Kylo’s hand then sniffs at it suspiciously. His tongue darts out to lap at Kylo’s fingertips. “Did you change your mind about wanting to become my dinner?” He grins playfully as Kylo snatches his hand away.

“Now what?” Kylo asks. “I defeated you, in a way, do I get something? One of your pearls?” He giggles as Armitage gasps theatrically, hands flying to cover the pearls in his hair. “Or a kiss?”

“I could never part with one of my pearls, how could you even ask that of me!” Armitage frowns as Kylo laughs again. “I guess I could give you a kiss, although I’m not sure you really deserve it - you didn’t actually resist me, you were just a much better swimmer than I expected.”

Kylo can’t help the grin that spreads across his face, absolutely charmed by Armitage and his fussy demeanor. Armitage hesitates, then darts forward to quickly peck a kiss to Kylo’s forehead.

“There, there.” He pats Kylo awkwardly on the shoulder. “I don’t do this very often, is that good enough?”

“It was perfect, thank you.”

Armitage harrumphs but allows a tiny smile to tug at the corner of his lips. He leans back on his elbows, stretching out his legs luxuriously in front of him.

“Well, now what?”

He tips his head back to look at Kylo, green eyes glinting with interest as he rakes his gaze up and down Kylo’s body. Kylo scrubs his hand against the back of his neck unsure, then realizing that most of his hair has tumbled from its topknot, tidies it up into a neat bun.

“I have a cooler with my lunch on the boat. I could go get it?”

Armitage wrinkles his nose up with distaste but nods nonetheless. He must really be hungry, Kylo thinks as he gets up to pick his careful way across the rocks and leaps into the churning water with a showy splash.

When he returns to shore, cooler in tow and Han’s floppy straw perched precariously on his head, Kylo is more than pleased to see Armitage still in repose on the seaweed-strewn beach. He turns up his nose at Kylo’s first offering of a peanut butter and jam sandwich then resigns himself to take the turkey sandwich, delicately picking off the tomatoes and lettuce before he deigns to eat it. Similar offers of apples, fizzy water, energy drinks are rejected but Armitage perks up when Kylo hands over the plastic carton of strawberries. As he gobbles down the plump red berries, licking up the rivulets of juice running over his fingers and wrist, he rumbles happily at Kylo.

“What do you do in the winter?” Kylo asks, adjusting the straw hat to shade his eyes so he can gaze at Armitage without squinting in the bright light. “There’s no way you can possibly live here year round, it’s freezing and like, you’re naked.”

“Oh, I migrate down the coast to California, usually,” Armitage replies, popping the last strawberry into his mouth and handing the empty carton back to Kylo with a nod of thanks. “I love going to Big Sur, so many people there. The surfers are even easier to entice into the water than you were - all I have to do is casually imply that they’re only the second-best surfer on the beach and they’re hooked.” He grins deviously, enormously pleased with himself.

“That’s terrifying.”

Armitage shrugs, pleased with the praise. “Meh.”

Kylo can’t help himself and he falls about giggling at Armitage’s nonchalance. “How are you so casual about murder?”

Armitage looks at Kylo bemusedly, another grin ticking up the corner of his mouth. “What! I have to eat and I’ll have you know that I’m not out there slaughtering everything in sight, I only need a little bit to sustain me. Do you know how much effort goes into all this?” He gestures broadly to himself.

“Please, enlighten me.” Kylo snorts into his hands.

“There’s my appearance: the look, presentation, the enticement - insults, catcalls, singing, whatever works - then the messy bits.” Armitage sticks his pink tongue out in a moue of distaste. “Sometimes there are sharks.”

“Oh my god, you’re not serious!”

“The ocean is a dangerous place.” Armitage sighs cryptically, leaning briefly against Kylo’s shoulder.

Kylo quirks an eyebrow at him, unsure if Armitage is joking about the sharks or not. “Maybe you could move to a river? What about the Fraser?”

“Too busy, someone would see me, I think.”

“What about the bathtub in my apartment?” You could come live with me.”

Armitage barks a full-throated laugh at that. Kylo grins, the thought of Armitage splashing around in the tub at home is such a funny image, the lanky siren probably wouldn’t even fit, his long legs would spill over the edge.

“That’s very forward of you, isn’t it? I mean, we’ve only just met.”

Kylo blushes from the tips of his ears down to his chest. “I didn’t mean it quite like that.”

“Oh, what a shame.” Armitage flutters his long, golden eyelashes at Kylo as he shakes out his hair, letting it ripple and cascade down his back. His every movement causes his gilded skin to glimmer in the sunlight, Kylo just stares - rudely, he knows but he can’t help it - at Armitage’s preening display.

“How are you even real?” He mutters, aching to run his fingers through that glorious hair.

Armitage grins smugly over his shoulder. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

\----

Sitting on the beach with the waves purling gently at their toes, they laugh and joke companionably as Armitage teases Kylo like they’re old friends. Eventually, though, the heat of the afternoon becomes too much for Kylo and he begs that they move up into the meager shade provided by the spindly pine trees at the edge of the beach.

“Very well.” Armitage concedes. “But you must carry me, I’m not used to walking on land.”

To demonstrate how unsuited he is for the land, Armitage again crosses his long legs at the knee so he could show Kylo how delicate and soft his feet are, how unused to walking on dry land he is, and how Kylo would absolutely have to carry him.

“Are you sure?” Kylo said, uncertain. His eyes trail down Armitage’s long, lithe legs. They were lightly muscled and look perfectly capable of carrying Armitage over land but who was he to say no to such a pleading, earnest face.

As he scoops Armitage up in his arms, he realizes belatedly, that perhaps he has fallen for the siren’s spell after all and as Armitage snuggles in close, arms looped around Kylo’s neck, wide green eyes fixed upon Kylo’s face, humming contentedly, Kylo can’t find it in himself to care whether he’s actually been ensnared or not.

Depositing Armitage gently in the sparse seagrass under the dappled shade provided by the scrappy evergreen trees, Kylo stretches out beside him and they continue their lively conversation. Armitage is a witty, acerbic, and biting in his humour, Kylo is completely charmed by him.

When Kylo notices that the trees are beginning to cast long shadows across the beach as the sun begins its slow descent to the horizon, he sighs. It was time to go. There is a slight increase in boat traffic out in Portier Pass as people returned to their safe harbours for the evening, and as everyone experienced with life on the islands knows, it’s not a good idea to be out here after dark.

“Armitage,” he says, regretfully, “I have to get going, it’s getting late.”

“Oh, will you be back tomorrow?” Armitage tries to affect an aloof, uncaring demeanor but his eager eyes, and the way he clings at Kylo’s arm betray him.

Kylo grins. “I can come back, if you want, I’ll be on the island all summer.”

“If you must.” Armitage yawns, looking away. He peers at Kylo over his shoulder, mischievous glint suddenly lighting up his eyes. “I shall prepare fresh insults for tomorrow.”

“I’ll look forward to it then.” Kylo laughs.

He heaves to his feet, adjusting the straw hat on his head he offers his hand to Armitage who takes it, allowing Kylo to pull him to his feet. Kylo presents his back to Armitage.

“Hop on.”

Armitage pauses for a moment, head cocked to the side as he parses Kylo’s meaning. Then his face lights up as he cottons on and he launches himself at Kylo, wrapping his long legs tightly around Kylo’s waist. Kylo grunts as Armitage knees him in the kidneys as he shifts and adjusts himself until he’s comfortable. He tries to forget that his companion is extremely naked and pressed tight against him as he slips his hands under Armitage’s thighs. He bounces Armitage up a little higher on his back then holding him tightly, carefully picks his way down the beach to the water.

When the water is thigh-high, Kylo lets Armitage slip off his back. Armitage keeps his arms looped around Kylo’s neck as he swings himself around to press against Kylo’s chest. Kylo’s hands glide down to settle on Armitage’s hips as the siren swoons closer, nipping a fleeting kiss to his lips.

“See you tomorrow.” He grins as his hands drift away from Kylo’s neck and he sinks into the water. “Take care swimming back to your boat, you know as well as I do that bulky guys like you are terrible swimmers.”

Laughing at the affronted expression on Kylo’s face, Armitage dives beneath the waves and disappears. Kylo shakes his head, laughing. He swims back to the Falcon alone, pulling up the anchor behind him as he clambers aboard.

As he starts the motor and zips the small craft towards the mouth of the bay for the trip back to Montague Harbour, he catches the glint of gold darting between the waves. 

His earlier desires for a quiet summer on the island fly from his head as he makes his plans for tomorrow. He can hardly wait.


End file.
